Big Winter Cowl

I've been eyeing this Purl Soho pattern for what feels like forever. Before my son was born I decided it would soon come to fruition and the opening of a new yarn shop in my neighbourhood seemed like the perfect push I needed to get started. 

I really loved the idea of using thread throughout as a way to add different spurts of colour but couldn't find thread that was affordable enough at my local shop. So I chose one big ball of multi colored sock yarn, and just altered how many strands of the sock yarn I used (or didn't use) to create a similar effect.

I love how thick and wide it is and have already been wearing it non-stop. So cozy!  

Brown Butter Spiced Winter Squash Bread

Oh boy. This was a good one. I think I easily polished off the whole loaf by day two.
The spices! The texture! Oh my I do adore this cakey bread.

The recipe comes from none other than my current favourite Ms. Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks. I followed the recipe pretty much completely as is, except I used walnut oil instead of hazelnut, and I made my own garam masala-esque blend of spices (coriander, cumin, ginger, black pepper, bay leaf, cardamom, and clove).
One bizarre thing I did do though was NOT measure my squash. Yup, that's right, I chopped, roasted, and pureed it but somewhere in my zombie mom brain I didn't think about measuring the damn stuff. Oh well, turns out lady luck was on my side and this turned out great. Now the only thing is I wonder how it'll turn out the next time...

Marinated Beet Salad

This salad just made my day.
Maybe I was a little too hungry and waited a little too long for lunch. But this salad has somehow made me feel so good, better than I thought a salad could. Actually thats not true, I know the power of salads (don't laugh!) but I feel like I haven't been eating the healthiest food lately and I think my body was just SO ready for some vegetables that it jumped for joy as I ate this simple salad.
Good thing I made enough for two...because I'm definitely having seconds.

3D Paper Garland

More cute paper garland! I can't stop!

Actually this is the first garland I started last week but somehow it got pushed aside once I started cutting out the glittery circles for the other holiday garland I made. 

To make these I folded a couple circles in half and then glued one half to another half, and kept gluing the folded circles to each other until I was happy with the amount of layers. Then I just put thread in the middle (where all the folded edges meet) and glued the last two sides together. 

I think the little 3D circles would make really cute simple ornaments for a christmas tree and the flat strands of circles would look great acting as ribbon on a present. 

Looks like I've got more crafting to do!

Samosas

Samosas have been on my "Must-make" list for years now. I suppose one big hinderance that kept me from making these for so long was finding nigella seeds for the dough. But thanks to Costas Halavrezos and Epices de Cru I now have a wealthy stock of them in my spice drawer.
The recipe I used was from Epicurious and although seemed to have generally good reviews many reviewers complained that they were bland. Considering that the recipe suggests that they be served with yogurt (as opposed chutney which is what I eat samosas with) I wasn't too concerned.

Well after rolling out the dough, folding and filling them, we fried up two right away and froze the rest. We ate them with my peach chutney and loved every single bite.

Metallic Paper Garland

I'm really not a glittery person.
Aside from a pair of black sequinned leggings I bought 2 years ago, and maybe some glittery eye shadow I wore as a teenager, I think I can safely say I don't really like glitter.
That is however until Dec 1st hits and I'm transported into a world where silver, gold and all things shimmery feel almost necessary. Maybe it's because winter is so white, cold, and drab that I feel like I need a something sparkly to catch the light and brighten up my day.

This garland was super simple to make. I used a large paper punch to create all the circles and then just sewed them together with my sewing machine. Since my metallic paper wasn't double sided I had to use sew two together back to back so that there wouldn't be plain white sides of the garland showing. I think the fact that it's doubled up and therefore sturdier will help it last for at least a few years.

Cauliflower Soup

Since getting home from vacation I've made a few promises to myself. The first one was to really crack down on eating healthier and making time for exercise.

 I was doing great before vacation but it's amazing what a huge step back it is to eat out and not exercise for almost three weeks. Ugh. I really can't believe how out of shape I feel.

The second promise was to really make great use of my time at home since I'll be working at the family biz full time for...well...quite a while. I wish the two promises weren't so interconnected..but they are (having barely any time to cook, clean, or relax leaves very little motivation to eat healthy and work out).

So today is my first day off since working full time again and I've done laundry, ran errands, made soup, and am currently making veggie burgers and cookies to have in the freezer for those upcoming days when we'll need them most. I'm also planning on dusting off my rarely-used slow cooker in hopes that it'll provide some amazing meals while we're both at work. Have any great slow cooker recipes? I'd love to hear about them!

Ginger Molasses Cookies

These are easily some of the best cookies I've ever made. I found the recipe 7 or 8 years ago while living in an apartment about the size of a closet. It was so small it didn't even have a full kitchen, just a small sink, mini fridge, two burners and a toaster oven. It's amazing to think of the things you'll put up with when you're young and seeking independence.
The first time I baked these cookies was in that toaster oven and my tiny one room apartment was filled with the most delicious aromas of molasses, ginger and cinnamon.
These cookies have the perfect texture (soft with a slightly crisp exterior) and aren't too sweet which usually means I end up eating more of them.

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

Do you ever have those days when you wake up and it's pouring and you say to yourself "I'm not going to leave the house today."? Well I'm having one of those days and it's great!
I love that rainy days make me feel less guilty for being a hermit. It feels a bit more socially acceptable to keep my pajamas on while I bake bread, make soup and quilt, when it's pouring outside.
I predict that the rest of the day will include pots of tea,  crib games, and knitting. Is it really any wonder why I love rainy days?

Cabbage and Beans

Sounds boring doesn't it?
But I promise you this modest combination of wilted cabbage, browned potatoes and beans is far superior than the sum of it's parts. As I dove in for my first bite I was surprised (maybe even shocked) by how tasty it was. I think this is easily going to become my new favourite healthy cold weather dish.

And if that's not enough to convince you to make this right away let me tell you about how I added the leftovers to some homemade turkey soup stock for the simplest and quickest, yet hearty and filling brothy soup.
I might even just have to make it again tomorrow morning for breakfast with a poached egg on top.

Winter Panzanella Salad

The last few days have felt like a bit of a whirlwind, but I'd like to think that this salad has helped keep me grounded. Maybe that sounds silly but I really think comfort food has the ability to soothe the mind as well as nourish the body. 

We started looking at houses this week, with no expectations to actually find one we liked. But of course we DID find one we love, very very much. So now my husband and I have been full of anxious nervous energy for the last few days and I'm using food as a way to try to bring us back down to earth. 

All the nerve-wracking waiting feels slightly less obvious while I'm chopping apples for applesauce, or stirring a hot pot of soup. 

After falling in love with Feisty Chef's Panzanella Salad this summer I couldn't help but let my mind wander into other seasons full of other produce that might be adaptable to this delicious bread salad. I remembered seeing a winter panzanella salad on Smitten Kitchen years ago and decided to just google it and see how the world out there is interpreting it. Well it turned out that Michael Chiarello made a pretty damn good salad that caused a flurry of bloggers to follow suit, including SK and now of course myself.   

Linguine with Blue Cheese, Beet Greens, and Hazelnuts

I love when I go searching for new recipes to use up a particular ingredient and I find one that features other things I already have on hand, and it turns out to be my new favourite dish. The flavours are simple  but bold in their own ways and the hazelnuts really pull it all together. Yum!

Jam Filled Cornmeal Biscuits

These are my new favourite vehicle for jam. I was truthfully not expecting these little gems to be so incredibly tasty. They're the perfect balance of sweet and salty, and wonderfully textured due to the cornmeal (also they're not as guilt as inducing as those thumbprint cookies). I'm currently eating them for breakfast with my morning coffee but I think they are going to taste quite delicious next to some cheese or even charcuterie. Also the thought of filling them with a slightly more savoury preserve like a chutney or hot pepper jelly has got me quite excited.

Do yourself a favour and head over to 101 Cookbooks, which is Heidi Swanson (author of Super Natural Everyday)'s blog and make these ASAP.

Thumbprint Cookies

It feels almost wrong to make these cookies in the summer. Like they're supposed to be baked when you're looking for ways to bring the taste of summer to the dead of winter, and when your body can handle a little fattening up due to their rich buttery goodness.

But here I am in the middle of summer, excitedly trying out some of my newest preserves with these quick and simple cookies.

Roasted Broccoli

For the last year or so I've been challenging myself to buy as much of my groceries locally as possible. In doing so I not only have a truer sense of the seasons here in Nova Scotia, but also a greater appreciation for my food. After suffering through a winter with fairly limited produce I promised myself I'd enjoy all that spring and summer have to offer by eating a wide variety of local produce. So what's a gal to do with produce she's not crazy about? Find a way to love it!

Broccoli is one of those things that just never stood out to me as an exciting delicious vegetable. I've always thought of it as the sort of thing mums snuck into their kids food, was usually overcooked, and often smothered in cheese to make it more appealing.
This broccoli dish however, really pleasantly surprised me. I actually bought more broccoli again today because I can't wait to make it again!

Red Lentil Soup with Bacon

This soup is a wonderful reminder that simple is best. It also doesn't hurt when simple is surprisingly delicious.

Pear Pie

There's really nothing like polishing off a big meal with a slice of freshly baked pie. This pear pie was easily my favourite part of our huge thanksgiving dinner this year.
It's now officially spring and there are still pears at the farmers market, so I couldn't help but make this one more time before they're gone.

I couldn't decide if I wanted to make a booze infused whipped cream or a salted dark caramel to top this pie, but then our dinner guests showed up with a container of banana cardamom ice cream. Problem solved! And it was a match made in heaven. Cardamom + Pear = Fantastic!

Unfortunately I was too distracted with said dinner guests that there were no photos of the finished pie, so just use your imagination ok?

Baked Oatmeal with Apples & Pecans

As I type this all I can think of is sleep. It's 10:13am, I've been awake for just under 2 hours and yet I'm still tired. I think I'm getting sick.

This is oatmeal is hearty, filling, delicious and easy to throw together. 

I wish I had the energy to write more about this but the couch is calling me...

Shaved Beet & Proscuitto Pizza

Last night I planned on making a pizza version of this caramelized onion tart. But as I gathered onions from the pantry I couldn't help but notice the sad looking bag of beets that has been somewhat ignored lately. I think I've already gone off the deep end in terms of pizza toppings, so what's stopping me from trying one with beets?

Cabbage, Apple and Pecan Salad

I'm grateful for this salad. 

It's 12pm and I'm starving. I've been quite busy all morning with household chores, making breakfast and lunch for the working man, putting finishing touches on some chocolates, and truthfully I did not have a very healthy breakfast to start it all off.

So therefore I'm grateful for this salad that I made with dinner last night, and I'm really grateful that there was still some left in the fridge today, and I'm even more grateful that it tastes even better today than last night. Thank you winter salad.